It's pretty typical on HN to see somebody singing the praises of apple while failing to notice the competition provides similar functionality.
then how come there are zero FOSS "AirDrop replacements" that seamlessly create an ad-hoc wireless network between two devices to allow for truly p2p high speed transfers?
Since Apple won't implement any third party one, and theirs is natively integrated with their platform, half the ecosystem won't implement or adopt any FOSS alternative.
Since such an alternative won't be pre loaded on handsets (and the Android ecosystem is complex without one single vendor producing firmware everyone ships), the rival would need to be installed manually by users before use.
Not impossible - WhatsApp and other apps have (in some markets) gained near-ubiquity without being built-in, but I think the native app barrier here will always be a hurdle. And Apple presumably knows and strategizes that an alternative won't gain adoption if their half of the ecosystem won't adopt it, therefore holding back the wider market and keeping airdrop functionality as a USP.
Here's how Apple describes its EU-mandated USB-C port on the iPhone 15, after rejecting criticisms about proprietary cables for years:
"The new USB-C connector lets you charge your Mac or iPad with the same cable you use to charge iPhone 15. You can even use iPhone 15 to charge Apple Watch or AirPods.5 Bye-bye, cable clutter."
https://www.apple.com/ca/iphone-15/
The reason this keeps happening is because Apple (and Google) keep widening the feature gap between computers and phones, because the latter gives consumers far less choice when it comes to using third-party applications and peripherals.